Decentralizing core network functionalities

摘要

The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for providing network access, wherein a connection to a core network is established via a wireless access device (20) and a gateway device (42). Connectivity of the wireless access device (20) is restricted to a pre-defined group of core network address of a pool of gateway devices (42) with multi-node connectivity to the core network, and a single address is selected to establish the connection to a one of the gateway devices (42). The gateway device (42) is provided with a relay function for mapping a single input address to a plurality of core network addresses based on a location information of the wireless access device (10) and with at least one co-located decentralized core network functionality.

主权项

1. A method of providing network access, the method comprising:
in a communication device in a wireless access network associated with a core network; establishing a connection to the core network via a wireless access device in the wireless access network, wherein a user plane of the connection is terminated, without involving the core network, at at least one of the wireless access device and a gateway device connected to the core network, and a control plane of the connection is restricted to connect to the core network; further comprising establishing the user plane connection to the gateway device via a single Internet Protocol address if the user plane connection is to be terminated at the gateway device.